WSS: World 9, Amourous He - Session 4

Present Party: Aria, Claudia, Emori, and Steve.

Setting: Aboard the starship Cave of Wonders, captained by a space pirate, Theron, and his crew.

The party was directed by Confidence, now aboard Theron's ship, to the cockpit, where there was a full bar. It seemed as though the crew was keen to celebrate after delivering some money to the poor of the city, and kidnapping Prince Ali.

Confidence introduced them to a drink known as a "Magic Carpet Ride" which made them feel really light inside, almost as though their insides were floating up. Steve used Levitate on himself and everyone else in turn so they could all get the feeling. In their drunken states, Claudia and Aria also took time to tease Emori about her affection for Confidence. Steve even went so far as to illusion Confidence in a tuxedo. 

Emori was mortified, and left the area. Claudia found her, and the two of them talked about how they'd known each other as sisters longer than friends, after the last world. Claudia admitted that she'd grown up so differently as Ike's daughter, than she had at home. Emori asked not to be teased as much, and Claudia agreed that she'd lay off. The talk about weddings though made Claudia nostalgic for her future wedding with her fiancée back in her home world, and sorrowful too. She hadn't seen her in nearly 30 years at this point. Although Aria had tried to be supportive to Claudia, it was decided that maybe they'd had a few drinks too many, and they should settle for the night.

Theron gave them all key cards to their rooms, and they decided to rest.

~~~~~

Steve woke up in the morning, and being from a world where he worked as an accountant for space pirates, he decided to apply those skills to working on the Cave of Wonders. He found a computer and started researching tax laws and the stock market (so he could learn how to exploit them.) He was caught by two people. The first was a red-headed woman who, after some explanation, was genuinely impressed by his work. The second was a young elven boy named Terrowyn, who Steve enlisted as something of a personal assistant. He sent Terrowyn to go get him drinks, and also taught him a thing or two about finance.

Emori also found this red-headed woman, who was carrying around a small tablet. She seemed rather important, so she asked her what there was to do for work. The woman told her that "the boy downstairs" would probably like some breakfast, and directed her towards the cantina to get some. Emori went down to the lowest deck of the starship, where she encountered two human guards who introduced themselves as Kay and Lysander. She tried to give them the food, but they'd already eaten. When Emori explained, Kay was the one who understood.

"I think she means the boy inside," he told her. "You can go ahead in, if you want."

Prince Ali the Amorous
Human
(Art by toherrys on DeviantArt) 

She did, and inside, in a cell behind red laser beams that acted as bars, was Prince Ali. She slid the tray very gently through the bars. Ali asked if she knew anything about his sister, and Emori didn't. She looked around this area, which appeared to be a brig of sorts. There was no evidence that anyone else had been here for some time. Ali was worried, but Emori assured him that she would find her.

Before she left, she actually decided to ask Kay and Lysander, and they told her that the princess was fine. She was... around.

"So she's not a prisoner?" Emori asked.

"Hasn't been for a while..." Lysander told her. "Not since she fell in love."

"With who? Theron?"

Both of them laughed. Kay shook his head. "No, not the captain..."

"So who?"

Neither of them seemed particularly keen to say. Kay challenged her, "Go find her."

Emori left, but she couldn't help the sinking feeling that Confidence was somehow involved, and that worried her greatly. She went to find Aria and Claudia.

Quartermaster Kiran
Minotaur
(Art by @ArtMovd on Twitter)

They were currently in the cantina, getting breakfast. They'd opted to sit at a very open table, with only one other individual: a minotaur gentleman. They found out that his name was Kiran. He was the quartermaster on the ship, and many people were afraid of him, due to his size and position as the disciplinarian of the ship. When they left and met up with Emori, she was pretty shaken up about the possibility that the princess could be in love with Confidence.

They said that she was probably overreacting, and that if she was so broken up about it, then she might want to try drinking. According to both of them, it was how they were dealing with their loves that they weren't able to see again.

Emori, frustrated, stormed off to do just that, and after a few failed Constitution Saves, she'd passed out.

Princess Dahlia the Courageous
Human
(Art by Sarctic on DeviantArt) 

Meanwhile, Claudia and Aria went looking for the princess. They'd heard rumors around the ship that she had gotten into an argument with Theron earlier that morning, and she'd last been seen up on the viewing deck. The girls made their way there, and found a beautiful human woman in her late twenties with dark skin and long, dark hair.

They joined her, and asked if she was really the princess, out of curiosity. She answered that she was, and learned a few things:

- Her name was Dahlia. She had other titles, but didn't like using them.

- She had, indeed, fallen in love with someone on the ship: the firstmate, a woman with long red hair. Dahlia didn't say her name.

- She had been arguing with Theron because they had the same desire, but different methods of going about it: they both wanted to hurt her father.

- Theron had a personal vendetta against her father, but she didn't know what that was. He wanted to kidnap the king's children, and essentially guarantee that his royal line would never continue.

- Dahlia simply wanted to kill her father outright. When she was taken, she knew that her parents weren't going to send for a ransom. She knew that Ali would try, and that was exactly what Theron wanted. What she needed now was to see Ali, and get him to help her convince Theron that killing their father was the right course of action. However, Theron hadn't allowed her to go.

- Dahlia wanted Ali to take their father's throne if that happened, but she worried he might be far too "amorous" to go through with killing him.

Aria and Claudia offered to help sneak her down to see Ali tonight, after dinner. Dahlia agreed that would probably be the best time.

Next, the girls went looking for Steve, and found him in complete control of his financial operation. They told him that they were rather worried about Emori as well. She'd left, with the intention of going drinking. They also filled him in on any new information they'd learned from the princess.

They went to the bar, but didn't find her there. When they asked the bartender, he told them that Confidence had taken her from the bar, and they were given his room number. When they arrived they found her tucked in, safely in his bed.

"What? Do you really think I'm that much of an asshole?" he asked, shaking his head.

He went to get some water and coffee while the party filled Emori in. She wanted to stay and sleep for a while. When Confidence came back with drinks, the party asked him what else there was to do on the ship. He told them about the armory, and the party moved forward with their next destination in mind.

~~~~~

ART LINKS:

https://www.deviantart.com/toherrys/art/commish-Dmitri-700365428

https://twitter.com/ArtMovd/status/1160433819285110784

https://www.deviantart.com/sarctic/art/Gwen-DeLancy-395324626

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Credit to @ijaymendell inspiring this awesome campaign!